Meaning & Origins

From an Old English personal name derived from ēad ‘prosperity, riches’ + wine ‘friend’. It was borne by a 7th-century king of Northumbria, who was converted to Christianity by St Paulinus and was killed in battle against pagan forces, a combination of circumstances which led to his being venerated as a martyr. The name occurs occasionally from the mid 16th century, but in modern use it is largely the result of a 19th-century revival.